Chapter 49

 

What appeared in front of Seo Woojin, who burst out of the door, was a monster in the shape of a wolf.

 

It had a similar appearance to the Snow Wolves seen in the north, but it was black, perhaps due to erosion by demonic energy.

 

‘The energy I sense is even stronger than the Snow Wolves.’

 

At this level, it seemed to be on par with the troll he had captured a few days ago.

 

The problem was that their numbers were too great.

 

“57!”

 

Meanwhile, Kang Byeong-gyu, who used exploration skills, provided the precise number of these creatures.

 

There were too many.

 

Even for someone like Seo Woojin, that number was overwhelming.

 

However…

 

‘I’m not alone right now.’

 

It all started with Kim Da-hye.

 

I don’t know when she summoned it, but in her hand was the K-2 that I had seen before.

 

Tat-tat-tat-tat-!

 

The muzzle spewed fire.

 

The monsters were startled by the sudden gunfire and scattered in all directions.

 

Unfortunately, Kim Da-hye’s marksmanship wasn’t that great, and only a few of them were hit.

 

Even so, only three died instantly.

 

‘I guess I should work on her shooting skills.’

 

Seo Woojin added marksmanship training to Kim Da-hye’s regimen and rushed forward.

 

“I’ll take the front!”

 

At Seo Woojin’s command, Lee Ji-ah and Yu Hong-seol spread out to the sides.

 

“Wind Cutter!”

 

Simultaneously, a blade of wind erupted from Jin Tae-seong’s hand.

 

Pipipit-!

 

The razor-sharp blade effortlessly cut through grass and trees.

 

Kaegang-!

 

Of course, the monsters suffered the same fate.

 

Although not a very high level of magic, Jin Tae-seong’s magic, reaching level 28, was too powerful for them to resist.

 

“Great!”

 

As one monster in front of him fell into three pieces and collapsed, Seo Woojin charged in.

 

The sword cut through the air.

 

The heads of the three monsters that entered its path floated gently.

 

‘It’s not that difficult.’

 

Seo Woojin looked at both sides out of the corner of his eye.

 

Lee Ji-ah and Yu Hong-seol were also easily taking down monsters.

 

‘Everyone is doing better than expected.’

 

Facing trolls a few days ago seemed to have been quite helpful. 

 

Back then, they couldn’t resist them, but now they were showing some decent moves.

 

Although there were moments when their body stiffened, indicating that they hadn’t fully accustomed to it, it was sufficient for now.

 

As soon as the battle began, they had already taken the lives of more than ten monsters.

 

‘There’s no need to use the skill.’

 

Seo Woojin could have fought much faster if he used his skills, but he chose not to.

 

It was a consideration for other team members to gain more experience.

 

Seo Woojin only used his swordsmanship to overcome the monsters and observed Lee Ji-ah.

 

As expected of an A-class, her punches were powerful.

 

Almost as soon as her punch connected, their body exploded.

 

For a girl who looked so young, it was a little scary.

 

On the other hand, Yu Hong-seol was elegant.

 

Like most Heroes, her swordsmanship skills weren’t exceptional, but thanks to the influence of her skills, she effortlessly cut down the monsters in one stroke.

 

‘Did she say she was a Dual Blader?’

 

He couldn’t remember the exact level, but he knew her class and occupation well.

 

Whether she was originally calm or not, even in her slightly shaky movements, she swung her black blade confidently.

 

But there was something else that was most impressive.

 

“Ground Spear.”

 

With a small incantation, stone spears shot up from the ground, piercing through the monsters.

 

At the same time, he displayed meticulousness that didn’t interfere with the movements of the three people in close combat.

 

“Impressive.”

 

Jin Tae-seong’s magical sense was so amazing that Seo Woojin would envy it.

 

This kind of combat was undoubtedly the first for him, but Jin Tae-seong understood his role accurately.

 

Thanks to that, hunting became much easier.

 

Has it only been about 10 minutes?

 

All the monsters, numbering up to 57, were defeated.

 

“Wow, this is my first time fighting like this! Our teamwork is amazing, isn’t it?”

 

Without calming down the excitement of the battle, Lee Ji-ah bounced around, while Yoo Hong-seol calmly regulated her breathing.

 

“Yeah, it is.”

 

While saying that, Yoo Hong-seol alternately glanced at Seo Woojin and Lee Ji-ah.

 

Although they had become a bit accustomed to it, unlike themselves, who were startled by the vitality of the monsters, the two of them had expressions that seemed completely unfazed.

 

At that moment, Yoo Hong-seol regretted not training with them.

 

“Thank you. Ji-ah, you did well too.”

 

Seo Woojin approached them with a smile.

 

Since it was their first battle, it couldn’t have been easy, and it was a bit impressive that they did well.

 

“Mister, did I do well? Like this, like this! Bang with a fist!”

 

Lee Ji-ah, swinging her fist covered in monster remains, looked a bit intimidating.

 

“Yeah, you did well.”

 

Seo Woojin nodded awkwardly.

 

“Unfortunately, I didn’t level up.”

 

“I have a tingling feeling that it will rise soon.”

 

Seo Woojin, who was relatively low level, could feel that he gained quite a bit of experience points from this battle.

 

“Congratulations.”

 

“I want to level up too!”

 

While he was smiling at the completely different reactions of the two, urgent voices from Kang Byeong-gyu were heard from behind.

 

“They’re coming again!”

 

“Already?”

 

For a moment, they had forgotten.

 

This place was called the Demonic Realm.

 

* * *

 

“They are fighting well.”

 

The knights who had secretly watched Seo Woojin’s team nodded in agreement with Ludain’s words.

 

“Sure. The team’s balance isn’t bad, and it seems they can easily defeat most monsters.”

 

It wasn’t a coincidence that Ludian, an instructor at the academy, followed Seo Woojin’s team.

 

After witnessing the battle with trolls, his interest in Seo Woojin grew, so he deliberately chose to accompany them.

 

And Seo Woojin didn’t disappoint his expectations.

 

“Without even using skills, his combat skills are at my level….”

 

Even just observing his swordsmanship, he didn’t fall behind the knights at all.

 

‘What kind of training has he been through?’

 

Although it was known that he trained in Sion, that alone couldn’t explain it.

 

“Indeed, ‘Elementalist’ and ‘Fist Master’ are outstanding.”

 

But in the eyes of his subordinates, others seemed to be more impressive.

 

“I thought it would be impressive since it’s A-rank, but it stands out even more compared to other Heroes.”

 

As the subordinate mentioned, the number of monsters captured by Lee Ji-ah and Jin Tae-seong far surpassed others.

 

Simply looking at the results, the subordinate’s words were not wrong.

 

“Of course, other Heroes are amazing too. I never thought they could create something like that.”

 

The subordinate pointed to the log house created by Kim Da-hye.

 

“That surprised me too.”

 

The ability to use skills in such a way was beyond imagination.

 

No, in the first place, it was more accurate to say that Kim Da-hye hadn’t received much attention because she was a C-rank Hero.

 

But now, her abilities were not something to be underestimated due to her low rank.

 

‘That guy is the same.’

 

Let’s leave aside ‘Elementalist’,  ‘Dual Blader’ and ‘Fist Master’.

 

At least they were B-rank or higher, and they were all combat professions.

 

But ‘Explorer’ was something he hadn’t thought about.

 

He thought it wouldn’t be of much help because it lacked any significant combat abilities….

 

It seemed that when he returned to the academy, he needed to analyze the professions of each Hero in more detail.

 

Even if the rank was low, if used in the right place, they could show much better utility.

 

‘But the most surprising thing is still him.’

 

Ludian’s eyes turned towards Seo Woojin.

 

His subordinates seemed oblivious, but he could definitely tell.

 

‘That guy considered the well-being of the other Heroes.’ 

 

Although he could have made more contributions, he chose not to. 

 

Moreover, he subtly positioned himself at the center of the team. 

 

While not taking on the role of a leader directly, Seo Woojin’s words and actions had a significant impact on the team.

 

Every time Ludain witnessed such behavior, he became increasingly curious about him.

 

However, now was not the time to focus on such matters. 

 

Once again, monsters gathered, and the battle began. 

 

This time, they were fiercer than before.

 

Ludain and the knights kept a close eye on the situation, preparing for any unforeseen events. 

 

Of course, the concerns they had did not materialize.

 

* * *

 

“Hoo- Hoo-“

 

Seo Woojin exhaled rough breaths. 

 

“Is this never-ending?”

 

Even though it was called the Demonic Realm, this was too intense. Under the relentless onslaught of monster waves, Seo Woojin, who had been conserving energy, was gradually wearing down.

 

“There might be people who have already dropped out.”

 

If monsters were not only concentrated on this side, it was certain that other Heroes would also be exhausted.

 

“I never thought it would be this tough from day one.”

 

With a grumbling sound, Kang Byeong-gyu activated the ‘Radar.’

 

“Still, it seems there won’t be any attacks for a while. I don’t see any monsters around.”

 

“Since we’ve caught so many, it should be dry for a while! Ugh, this is too tough.”

 

Lee Ji-ah retched with a pale face as she surpassed catching over a hundred monsters.

 

She had reason to be tired.

 

“Then let’s wash up and take a break while we can.”

 

Resting when possible was essential. 

 

Otherwise, it was impossible to endure a week with this kind of pace.

 

“I’ll take a look around. I need to find something we can eat.”

 

Relatively less fatigued than others, Kang Byeong-gyu stood up from his spot.

 

“Are you okay? Should I come with you? Oppa seems weak, so someone should watch over him.”

 

Lee Ji-ah’s innocent words slightly wounded Kang Byeong-gyu’s expression.

 

But soon, he lowered his head.

 

“Don’t worry; I can at least avoid the monsters. And you don’t have to keep protecting me so continuously. Leave these trivial matters to me.”

 

With a friendly smile, Kang Byeong-gyu entered the forest.

 

“He’s a good guy.”

 

Seo Woojin nodded as he watched Kang Byeong-gyu’s retreating figure.

 

Despite facing difficulties himself, he took the initiative to help the team.

 

Knowing that he wasn’t particularly helpful in battle, he seemed to want to contribute in other ways.

 

It was by no means an easy task.

 

Especially among Heroes who held a sense of privilege as special individuals.

 

Seo Woojin was gradually growing fond of this team.

 

“Ah, mister. We’ll go wash up first. Mister and Tae-sung are at home! If you peek, the iron fist of justice will come flying!”

 

“Uh, sure.”

 

Seo Woojin quickly nodded.

 

It was just a simple suggestion to wash up, but Lee Ji-ah seemed ready for a full bath.

 

“Wow, I’m finally taking a bath!”

 

With an excited expression, Lee Ji-ah, along with Kim Da-hye and Yoo Hong-seol, ran to the stream.

 

‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’

 

As Kang Byeong-gyu said, there wasn’t a single monster left nearby. It seemed like they could afford to relax a bit during this time.

 

“Shall we go in?”

 

When Seo Woojin asked Jin Tae-sung, he nodded slightly.

 

Perhaps Lee Ji-ah’s words embarrassed him; his face was slightly flushed.

 

‘Innocent.’

 

Seo Woojin chuckled and entered the house.

 

For a welcome ceremony on the first day, the reception in Demonic Helldane was quite grand.

 

He wanted a bit of rest until Kang Byeong-gyu arrived.